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Watch Me (Whip Nae Nae) By Silento: Lyrics Meaning And Interpretation

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Richard Lamar Hawk also known as Silento is an American rapper, songwriter, and recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to fame with the release of his debut single – “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”. He chose the name “Silento” because he believes in talking less and performing more. Hence, the name “Silento”.

Since childhood, he was passionate about music, and at an early age, he started his music career. He was only 17 when he got the chance to work with a recording label and with them, he released the hit song “Watch Me”. After its success, he then recorded other songs like “Get Em”, “Young Love”, and “Talk To Me”. His hit songs earned him several accolades. One of them is, he was recognized as the “Top New Artist” at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.

Silento’s music journey began when he was still a student at high school. He was just 17 years when he recorded his first song along with a song producer. Silento recorded and released one of his hits “Watch Me” on his YouTube channel in late January 2015. Soon after the release, within one week, the song became a massive hit. The infectious beats and impressive vocals, got the masses hooked onto the song. The song garnered approximately 2.5 million views within one week of its release. This kick-started his music career.

After the song’s massive success, he was approached by a recording label company to release the song with them. Silento signed the contract with “Capitol Records” and later re-released the track. The track was a commercial hit and Silento soon became a famous rap star.

Besides earning good reviews, the track also went on to win several accolades. It ranked at the number three spot on “Billboard Hot 100”, and garnered the second spot on the “Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop” songs chart. Subsequently, it won praise across the globe. In countries like Australia, France, Denmark, New Zealand, and the U.K., the song earned top spots on their music charts. In addition to this, the track was also certified six times as platinum in U.S. and twice as platinum in Canada.

The popularity of the song didn’t end here. The song was later released as a music video on YouTube in 2016 and was exclusively shot in Atlanta, Georgia. The video song features Silento dancing with dance crews, high school cheerleaders, and even with his fans. The video has so far garnered more than 1 billion views on YouTube. The popularity of the song earned him a nomination for prestigious awards like “MTV Video Music Award” and “The Teen Choice Award”.

Later, he performed his hit song at various venues alongside popular stars. He performed at the “BET Awards” with the crew of the television sitcom “Black-ish”. And was also invited to play at the popular New Year’s Eve television show, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”. Plus, he featured and performed in several popular television shows like “Good Morning America” and the “Ellen DeGeneres”. In 2018, he went on to release his first studio album titled “Fresh Outta High School”. Later, he released several other albums.

The “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” video features Silento performing dance moves in an indoor play area at a high school. The video begins with several dance crews vibing to the tunes of the song. As the song progresses, Silento makes an entry, dancing to the song along with school students. The music video is a blend of visually appealing shots with upbeat music.

Let us look at the Whip Nae Nae lyrics meaning.

What Does The Title Mean

The release of “Watch Me” kick-started Silento’s music career. The song garnered him fame and brought him into mainstream music. The inspiration behind the song came from two popular dance moves – “Whip” and “Nae Nae”. The Whip dance move involves dropping one‘s knees and simultaneously making a car-driving gesture. On the other hand, the “Nae Nae” dance move involves lifting one arm with a fist in the air and swaying from side to side.

These two dance moves were performed separately and Silento got fed up watching people doing them separately. With his song, he instructs listeners to combine both the moves into one dance move. This is the reason for the title “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”.

Read on further to know more about Whip Nae Nae lyrics meaning.

Whip Nae Nae Lyrics Meaning

Below is a brief explanation of the Whip Nae Nae lyrics meaning.

What Does The Intro Mean

Whip, nae nae

 

Whip, whip, nae nae

 

Whip, nae nae

 

Whip, whip, nae nae

 

You already know who it is

In the intro, the rapper begins the song by introducing two different popular dance moves “Whip” and “Nae Nae. These are two popular dance moves performed separately while listening to Hip Hop music. The “Whip” involves dropping one’s knees and performing the car-driving gesture whereas the “Nae Nae” involves positioning the arm in the air and swaying from side to side. While mentioning these dance moves, he is also introducing himself.

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What Does The Chorus Mean

Now watch me whip (Kill it!)

 

Now watch me nae nae (Okay!)

 

Now watch me whip, whip

 

Watch me nae nae (Watch me do it)

 

Now watch me whip (Kill it!)

 

Now watch me nae nae (Okay!)

 

Now watch me whip, whip

 

Watch me nae nae (Can you do it?)

 

Now watch me, ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

 

Now watch me, ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh watch me, watch me

 

Ooh ooh ooh ooh

In the chorus, the singer is telling his listeners to watch him perform both the moves. When watching the music video, Silento performs both moves simultaneously on the same beat. He first starts with “Whip” and gradually transitions into the “Nae Nae” dance move.

In the last few lines, he goes on repeating the words conveying that he is enjoying the addictive dance beat and informing the listeners to immerse themselves in the song.

Verse 1 – What Does It Mean

Do the stanky leg (Stank) do the stanky leg (Stank-stank)

 

Do the stanky leg (Stank) do the stanky leg (Stank-stank)

 

Do the stanky leg (Stank) do the stanky leg (Stank-stank)

 

Do the stanky leg (Stank) do the stanky leg (Stank-stank)

 

Now break your legs (Break ’em) break your legs (Brake the knob)

 

Tell ’em “break your legs” (Break ’em) break your legs (Brake the knob)

 

Gonna break your legs (Break ’em) break your legs (Brake the knob)

 

Gon and break your legs (Break ’em) break your legs (Brake the knob)

In the first few lines of the verse, the singer is introducing a dance move called “The Stanky Leg”. It is a dance move that originated in Texas. The Stanky Leg involves the rotation of one leg. Here he is asking to perform the dance move.

In the next few lines, he asks the listeners to perform the “Break Your Legs” dance move. The move involves getting the feet to stay in one place, bending the knees and getting them both together, and then moving the legs from side to side.

What Does The Pre-Chorus Mean

Now watch me bop bop bop bop bop

 

Bop bop bop bop bop

 

Now watch me bop bop bop bop bop

 

Bop bop bop bop bop

In the pre-chorus, the singer is performing another famous Hip Hop dance move – “Bopping”. In the video, there is a segment in the song where Silento performs the dance style. It is a rhythmic step involving both leg and arm movements.

Verse 2 – What Does It Mean

Now watch me yule (Soulja!), now watch me Superman (Okay)

 

Now watch me yule (Soulja!), now watch me Superman (Okay)

 

Now watch me yule (Soulja!), now watch me Superman (Okay)

 

Now watch me yule (Soulja!), now watch me Superman (Okay)

 

 

Now watch me duff, duff, duff, duff, duff

 

Duff, duff, duff (Hold on)

 

Now watch me duff, duff, duff, duff, duff

 

Duff, duff, duff, duff

In this verse, the first few lines convey that the singer is performing the “Yule” and the “Superman” dance moves. Both these dance steps go together. In the last few lines, the singer introduces his own dance step creation – “Duff”. He informs the listeners that he is performing the “Duff” dance.

Conclusion

“Watch Me” is Silento’s one of the popular hit songs that got him the limelight and made him a star. The song is all about the singer rapping on different dance moves to an upbeat music.

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